Assisi Week 3

July 23, 2008

Time is really flying by. Its almost time to leave
Italy. After the English camp ended everything went even faster.

On Saturday night Nate, Ashley, Christinia and I went to Perugia to see the Umbria Jazz Festival. It was a lot of fun. There were some free concerts there so we went to those. If I felt like paying 60 euro (95 dollars) I could have seen Alicia Keys or REM, but I dont have that kind of money to blow. The band we did see was called Funk Off. I dont know if the Italians realized what their word play meant, but they played a great show. They were an Italian version of a New Orleans band with tons of energy. There were trumpets, saxs, drummers and tubas and they really got everyone into the show.

On Sunday we went up to the top of Assisi to see the castle, then walked back down the hill to go to a wine bar that Nate and Ashley like. After a 15 minute walk up hill we reached the castle. Nate didnt know much about it, but it was cool to look at. It also had a great view of Assisi and the valley where Nate lives.

The wine bar was also very good. Something I really like about Italy is that they give you tons of snacks when you get a glass of wine. They give you nuts, chips, olives and little sandwiches. Its pretty good. To be honest I sometimes get a glass just so they give me the snacks. After the wine bar we walked around Assisi a bit before going home.

On Monday Christinia took us to to the top of the mountain. Its a bit of a ride and not for those who get car sick easily (Nate had to sit in the front seat with the windown down). Once we got up top we had a really great view of the area. You can see all the surrounding cities (Santa Maria, Perugia, Spello, Foligno, Trevy, Speleto and others). It was a really nice day, but a bit cold up there. We brought lunch and had a picnic then just laid out in the sun for an hour or so before going to Spello for some Ice Cream. The car ride was really nice all the way up and across the mountain then back down the other side. There were also hang gliders from Germany at the top of the mountain about to take off while we were up there. Its a good location for it apparently.

Today we attempted to go to Rome. I say attempted because TrenItalia sometimes doesnt work very well. When we got near the town of Speleto, about 30 minutes from Assisi by train, a piece of track broke or something. We had to get off the train in Speleto and wait. They said they didnt know how long it would be before we could go again so we abandoned the idea of Rome for today and spend the day in Speleto. We are going to try again tomorrow.

Speleto was a nice town. It also had great views of the valley and a castle at the top of the hill. In this region I would be considered to be well traveled just because I have been in most of the cities in the valley and surrounding areas. Nate told me a story about a woman who told him that one of the cities she could see from her house was the most beautiful city in the world. Nate asked her if she had ever been there and she said no. Going to another town is kinda a big deal I guess even if its right down the road.

Anyways so after we got our first coffee in Spoleto we ate our lunch (that was supposed to be eaten in the Roman Forum) then got another coffee and played Uno while waiting for our train home. Nate and Ashley are really into Uno so when I got a call from my dad I had to keep playing while trying to talk to him. Apparently its not as good with two people.

Its been a really great weekend and I have another great week ahead. Im going to meet up with some friends from last year in London along with some high school friends that found out I am going to be there via the power of Facebook. Im going to be a little sad to leave Italy. Its been a lot of fun here but I am excited for London and I am ready to do some traveling again.

-Alex

Assisi Week 2

July 13 2008
Ive been in Europe for a month now. It seems like it is flying by. This last week went by really fast it seemed and I didnt really do that much. Every day I go to the grocery store in the morning and then take the train to Foligno in the afternoon to go to English camp. There werent enough kids for me to work it so I just hang out at the pool all day and sometimes play kickball and soccer with the kids. Its not too bad of a deal.

This weekend we went to a town called Arrezo to meet up with some other kids we knew from English camp. Their camp was at a nice hotel in the mountains. We went swimming during the day and then they had a mideval dinner they cooked for us. I think their camp had a mideval theme or something because they had all these costumes. We had to dress up for the dinner and everything. Gave us pork and a bit of this salad stuff. It was really good. Afterwards we went to the cafe and had a glass of wine. The hotel also let us sleep in the lobby for free. They gave us pull out beds. It was a bit odd sleeping in a lobby but it was free so I didnt complain. In the morning we took the train back and hung out in Assisi. Right now I am uploading some pictures to the internet on Picasa. You can look at them here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Baddock86/AroundTheWorld

Ive booked a flight to London on July 25th. Im going to meet up with my English friend Sophie and she is going to show me around for the weekend. Im looking forward to it since Ive only flown through London.

- Alex

Back to Assisi

July 6th 2008
Im back to Assisi for a few weeks now. Meghan left on Friday the 4th to go home. It felt a little funny when she left because I really realized that I was across the world by myself. I have had this feeling before, but it is a bit odd when it happens. You are in a safe place and know youll be fine but you know no one. I met up with Nate later that day and the feeling went away, but I suspect I will really get it when I am in Hong Kong by myself in August.

Right now my plan is to fly to London on Friday July 25th and stay for the weekend before my flight to Hong Kong. Assisi is a relaxing place. The weather has been really nice even if its a bit hot. It cools of a bit at night and there is not much humidity so it has not been bad. I have been reading the book the Life of Pi the past few days since Meghan finished it and didnt want to take it home. She said it was weird but I have been unable to put it down. Nate has a bunch of books so when I finish it I guess I will start on one of his.

Something that is almost a miracle has already happened in Assisi. I have started to eat onions. Nate puts them in almost everything and one night i was so hungry I just ate them and decided they are not that bad if they are cooked. I know. I cant believe it. Who knows what else this city will do to me if it already has me eating onions after 2 days. I was thinking I would start running again too. We will see about that one.

So last night we sat on the porch and drank wine as the stars came out. Dont worry Ashley was there too. It wasnt just nate and me. If you are wondering why I am not punctuating my contractions its because I cant find the key. Anyways, it was really nice out and we had a glass of wine. The really cool thing was that the monks sing on Saturday night so we heard them singing as the stars were coming out. After wine we went and got some ice cream and sat in the square next to the chruch. We start every day with a cup of coffee at the coffee bar next to Nates apartment. This place has a nice small town feel but still has a lot to do. Its much different here but so far I like it.

- Alex

- Alex

Venice, Rimini, Assisi, Rome

July 2nd 2008
Right now Meghan and I are in Rome. Its pretty hot here but not to bad. Venice was a lot of fun, but a bit different from the rest of our trip. We were at a camp site a bit outside of the city. We met a lot of fun people and hung out with them the whole time. The Irish couple was fun to talk to and we also met these kids from Denmark took us to the beach one day because they had a car. We only went into Venice for about 4 hours one day without a map so we got kinda lost but we got to see it. The place we stayed had a pool and restaurant so at night we would just come back and relax there when we werent being attacked by bugs. Thank God for off spray...

Rimini was also a good time because we just got to sit on the beach for 2 days. Other than the sunburn we got it was perfect. Our hotel looked right out over the sea and we just sat in beach chairs and relaxed during the day. It was like Ocean City except not as dirty... so maybe like Bethany. Since its more of a tourist spot for Italians, the prices were a lot cheaper which was nice.

Yesterday we were in Assisi. Its a really pretty city. It has that small Italian town feel to it. Nate is really good with Italian now so its fine for him, but it would be difficult for me to be there alone. The people there are really nice. Nate knows the people at all the shops and cafes and they seem really nice. His apartment is right in the middle of the valley and has a nice view of the church of St. Francis at night. Its going to be nice to be there for a few weeks.

Now we are in Rome. Its pretty hot here but there are no bugs so its fine. We are waiting for the private bus from our campsite to take us to the Vatican in 20 minutes. We are planning on walking around the city all day and then coming back here and relaxing by the pool tonight. Tomorrow we plan to do the same because Rome has probably the most to see out of any city we have been to yet.

Meghan is leaving on Friday to go back home. Its crazy how fast 3 weeks have gone by, but at least I still have about 6 more before I have to go home. So far is hasnt been to bad traveling because we have had two heads to figures stuff out. I think Ill make a few more mistakes without her here. Its all in the adventure though. Ill be fine.

- Alex

Innsbruck

June 25th 2008
We just got to our campsite in Venice. It was a little interesting figuring out the bus system but we made it. Its a really nice place. We have a little trailer type deal with 2 beds a bathroom and AC which is good because its about 90 degrees here. Also, there is a pool, ping pong tables, a restaurant and bar on the site. Its going to be a lot of fun.

Yesterday we spent the day in Innsbruck. I wish we could have spent a few more days there. Its a beautiful town and the people are very nice. We took a trip to the top of one of the mountains. The 3 lifts took us about 2 miles up where we hiked to the peak. At the top we actually got to play in snow which was pretty fun since its June. I threw a few snow balls at Meghan. They also had a zip line, which happened to be free for some reason, from one part of the mountain to another. It was pretty cool. Our hotel was also very nice. It had really comfortable beds which is a bit of a change from the past places. It was nice to stay in a real hotel.

Tomorrow we are going to go into Venice. Probably going to go on a canal ride or something... we will see.

- Alex

Munich and Innsbruck

June 24th 2008
We just got to Innsbruck, Anstria today from Munich. It was a nice train ride through the mountains. Innsbruck seems really nice. Its has a small town feel but is still big enough. Beautiful mountains surround the city. We are getting ready to hike up them and hopefully do a zipline ride while up there.

Surprisingly, Munich might have been my favorite place so far. I didn't really know what to expect when we got there, but we found that our days there were filled with fun activities with much more that we could have done at the time we left.

Yesterday we went to the Neuschwanstein castle about an hour and a half from Munich by bus. This is the castle you see at the beginning of every Disney movie. It was gorgeous. We swam in Swan Lake in fresh alpine water and hiked up the mountain to a bridge that overlooked the town and the castle. It was really something I'll always remember.

The day before we went to Dachau. This was the original concentraion camp that was created in 1933 for Political prisoners. It was definitely an experience that I think most people should have. Its one thing to see the pictures of the people and how they were treated, but to stand in the rooms where they were forced to live was much worse. I also thought about how I willingly took a train to a place where thousands of people would have given anything get away from. It was another experience I'll always remember.

After Dachau we went on a bike tour of Munich. It was a beautiful day for biking through the city. We were told that there had only been 2 or 3 days of sun the whole month so far, so we were very lucky the days we were there. After the bike ride we swam in a river that went through the English Gardens. It was very cold, but a lot of fun. We finished off the tour with a trip to the beer garden. The beers in Germany are HUGE and very tasty.

Tomorrow we go to Venice at 1 pm. The place we are staying looks like a ton of fun. See you later.

-Alex

Paris

June 19 2008
So I've been in Paris for a few days now. Its been a lot of fun. Meghan and I are staying in a nice hostel in the northern part of the city and our room as a nice view of the Eiffel Tower. We've gone to see almost all of the touristy places so far, but still have a few left to do. I think we are going to see Versailles tomorrow morning.

Last night we went to the Eiffel tower at sun down, which is about 10:30 pm here, and saw the lights come on. We went up to the top around midnight and saw the entire city at night. It was really nice and the view was great. This morning we went to see Jim Morrison's grave and Notre Dame, then we went to Sacre Coeur. The city is so massive that its difficult to see a lot in one day because it takes a while to get there even on the metro.

Tonight we are going on a bar crawl through Paris. It goes to 4 bars and a night club with an english speaking group and guide. It looks like a lot of fun and its not too expensive either. We have one more day here then we leave Saturday morning at 7 for Munich.

- Alex